


The Milkshake Escape

by ghibliterritory



Series: Sweet Pea [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Gen, its shippy if you squint, post-season two, pure fluff, they get left out of hijinks and decide to use the time for other stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-16 04:05:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14804024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghibliterritory/pseuds/ghibliterritory
Summary: The sane persons manage to not get involved in the regular Riverdale craziness, and figure out what to do with their time.





	The Milkshake Escape

**Author's Note:**

> i didnt expect this to be so cute and fun to write but here i am??? i might write more

~~~~“What do you mean you’re ‘taking care of it’, Jughead?” The rough voice was hidden among the unrest of the school’s front steps, blending in with the other voices. It’s owner, Sweet Pea, looked down at the Serpent’s leader with a snarl. The other just sighed.

“This is my mess, Sweet Pea. I can’t drag you guys into this. Not anymore than I already have.” Jughead explained poorly, only making Sweet Pea click his tongue in annoyance. “So, you’re gonna drag all your other Northsider friends? That makes sense.” He muttered. The two glared at each other, both knowing that they weren’t really right, but getting too worked up to care. “Just… Go home. Get everyone home.” Jughead finally said. Then, silently, he left the center of the crowd and climbed onto his motorcycle. Next to him, Archie’s truck sat ready to go, the rest of the Northsider Breakfast Club inside. Sweet Pea watched them all go, off to fix the mess.

When Peabody came back, everyone was surprised and unhappy. She’d been causing trouble, and of course Jughead felt the need to take care of it. It upset him, though. Serpents stuck together. Defended each other. And yet, Jughead was the only one going. Maybe it was to keep them safe, but Sweet Pea wasn’t pleased to stay back. Even if Jughead drove him crazy, he wanted to help.

Around him, noise died down as the group of Serpents started to trail off, murmurs of where to go replacing the protests. It wasn’t long before Sweet Pea stood alone, watching them all go and letting out a huff of a sarcastic laugh to himself. He sat on the steps, his hand going into his pocket to pull out the two things he needed to handle a crisis: smokes. He got one of the last whole cigarettes in his pack, and spent no time lighting it. Then, thanks to the flames in the dark, he saw her.

She’d blended into the darkness, silent as he stayed there. Sweet Pea turned his head to her, trying to get a better look from a street light. From what he saw, she looked familiar. He swore he’d seen her in places other than school- he just didn’t know where. Sweet Pea stood and gently approaches, taking a drag from his cigarette and blowing the air away from her. “You waiting on a ride?”

The girl looked over at him, wide eyes glowing in the little bit of street light. Now, he could place where he knew her. Mayor’s daughter- Josie, if he remembered right. She was a prominent performer. She didn’t look too flashy that night, almost a little sad if anything.

“Oh, no, just… I’m good.” She muttered, looking away from him again. It wasn’t hard to see how nervous she was. He probably didn’t look that friendly, he’d admit. Plus, it was late, and the town wasn’t exactly the safest place. He tried to offer a smile. “Ah. Of course. That’s why you’re standing here, alone.” Sweet Pea said. His tone was so subtly teasing, and it got her to flash him a meaner look, which he chuckled at. Another bit of silence followed, though, and Josie wrapped her arms around herself to keep herself warm. Sweet Pea’s smile dimmed just a little bit, and he sighed. “Are, uhm… are you their friends?” He asked. Josie didn’t seem to get the question. “Like, Betty and Jughead and… them. You know ‘em?”

Now, she understood, and she nodded. “Yeah. I mean… not friend enough for their adventures, I guess… Not that I wanna go.” She said, smiling just a bit. “They always get wrapped up in some crazy shit.”

That made him really laugh, taking another short drag from his cigarette. “Yeah, they really do. I mean, who knew they could get in so much trouble in one year?”

“I know!” Josie turned to him. “The year isn’t even over, and they’ve all been solving murders and getting in prison like no one’s business!”

The two laughed for a minute, amazed at how their friends (or, her friends, his acquaintances) could be such troublemakers. Sweet Pea had only been in jail a couple of times, but he might have been in there more if he was dumber. Eventually, the laughter died out, and while the silence started to replace it, he stuck his hand out to her. “Uh.. I’m Sweet Pea. I’m more Jughead’s friend, but… hey, might as well broaden my social experience.

Josie stared at his hand, looking skeptical, before gently taking it. “Josie. As in, Josie McCoy. As in-” “Mayor’s daughter.” Sweet Pea stopped her. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna snap at you for that. You don’t seem nearly as… how do I put this nicely…”

“Insane as her?” Josie finished, pulling her hand back and folding her arms over her chest. “I get that a lot. I know just how crazy she can get.” Her voice carried some resentment, and Sweet Pea faltered a little. “Yeah… Well. Moving on from that,” He started, piecing together what he was gonna say as he talked. “It seems like we’re both kinda stuck alone for a night while crazy people push this town into catastrophe. Why don’t we… go… get a milkshake or something?” He asked. “Just to pass the time. It won’t mean anything more than a possible friendship, I promise.”

For a moment, Josie stood in silence to consider it. He waited, of course, but every second just readied him for rejection. He wouldn’t blame her, and it would count as trying to be friendly, but it still wouldn’t be fun. Plus, she actually seemed cool. Finally, she looked ready to answer, and he shut his eyes tight to brace himself.

“Sure.”

Sweet Pea opened an eye in disbelief. “...Really?”

“Yeah.” Josie said, smiling. “It’ll be nice to get a break from the hectic Riverdale.”

...That was fair enough. Sweet Pea smiled, opening his other eye. “Great. Awesome. Yeah. Uh… I have a bike, we can…” “A bike? Like, a motorcycle?” She asked, wary. “Yeah! Yeah, don’t worry, I’m safe. Got a helmet and everything.” He assured her. She hummed in discontent, but eventually shrugged and gave him the okay. Carefully, he lead her to his bike parked nearby, climbing on and giving her enough room behind him. “Hold on.” He warned, handing her the helmet. Then, when she got her arms around him securely, he revved up the bike and the two sped off towards Pop’s.

The ride was interesting- hearing Josie yell in excitement and terror just made him laugh as they drove around Riverdale in the dark. He might have taken the long way on purpose just because of that. She squeezed his middle tightly the whole way there. He totally didn’t blush. Sadly, they actually got to where they were going in the first place, and two climbed off the bike. Josie was grinning so wide it blinded him. “That was incredible! I felt like I was just…” She started, unable to finish in her own awe. Sweet Pea chuckled. “If you like it so much, you should get one. I can even help you fix one up, learn to ride… if you want, that is.” He offered. Josie smiled, but said nothing, instead making her way up into Pop’s instead. He followed behind closely.

As they entered, Sweet Pea could see heads turning, staring at the two with… distaste, to say the least. They stopped, scanning the diner with wariness. He could see it on Josie’s face- what would they say about her? Or her mother? He frowned, and gently put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. He nodded to a table, and she nodded back to him, and the two silently walked over and took a seat in the back. People’s eyes slowly left them, but there was still an uncomfortable air. He ignored it, focusing on Josie. “You alright?”

She didn’t look that happy with the situation. Something about her was nervous. But, she smiled at him still. “Yeah. Just.. you guys have a really bad rep, huh?” Josie asked. Sweet Pea kept himself from getting defensive. She wasn’t trying to insult him. “Yeah, we’ve uh… really been on the North’s bad side for a while.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. She nodded in understanding and didn’t ask about it. He was grateful for that.

Pop waddled up to their table, smiling at them despite the atmosphere.

“What’ll it be, kids?” He asked, looking to Josie first. She looked relieved by his kind eyes. “Vanilla milk.. Actually, can I get the strawberry milkshake? And, a side of fries?” She asked politely, to which Pop nodded. He jotted all that down at lightning speed, and then looked at Sweet Pea. His gaze didn’t change. It surprised him, really, but he didn’t question it. “I’ll uh.. stick to chocolate, thanks.” He muttered, eyeing Josie for a second. She had a brow raised, and he smirked. “Alright, that’ll all be out in a minute.” Pop assured them before he disappeared back behind the counter.

“You know, you can tell a lot about a person through their favorite milkshake flavor.” Josie mentioned, biting back a smile. Sweet Pea huffed in laughter. “Yeah? Well, I should let you know chocolate isn’t my favorite.” He admitted, leaning in close like he was telling a secret. She leaned in too. “What is it?”

He paused, looking around the diner exaggeratedly, before leaning back in and smirking wide. “...it’s Birthday Cake.”

Josie suddenly snorted, and Sweet Pea shushed her, even if he was almost laughing himself. “Oh, man, that really does say a lot.” She said, sitting back again. “I wouldn’t have taken you for the colorful sweets kinda guy.”

Sweet Pea shrugged and reclined on the booth. “Well, I’m a fan of it. It’s been my favorite flavor since I was a kid. Probably because it’s so hard to get. I mean, how many people serve more than the standard three flavors?” He asked, to which she smiled more. “Y’know… I don’t know. I’ve only seen a couple places.”

“Exactly.” He said, grabbing a fork and gently tapping the end on the table. Just to fidget with. He had a bit of an energy problem. Josie watched the fork, her smile softening now. “Well.. I usually go with vanilla. Mom always said it was the best flavor. But… I’ve been trying out new stuff, recently. A solo career, having milkshakes with Serpents… why not go for a new flavor?”

He had to admit, that was sound logic.

“Yeah. Gotta try it all..” Sweet Pea said, stopping the fork. “So… you do the music, right? You were in that band-”

“The Pussycats.” She said, sighing softly. “Yeah… That’s been rocky recently. I love my girls, but…” “You wanna focus on you first. I don’t blame you for that.” He said, leaning forward a little again. “But don’t ditch to build yourself up, y’know? The Serpents, we’ve got this sort of set of rules- it’s a family thing. No one gets left behind. Maybe sorta apply that here.”

Josie blinked, maybe taken aback by his words. But, she nodded in understanding. Her eyes reflected a bit of welcoming to the idea. “Right… So. Sweet Pea. Do you do any music stuff?” The topic change was choppy, but he appreciated the effort. He felt his cheeks go a little red in embarrassment. “Uh… Not really. I know how to play guitar but I’m not that good. Not Josie and The Pussycats level, anyway.” Sweet Pea replied with a warm smile, making her blush. “Oh… we’re still in high school. Not that amazing.”

He opened his mouth to protest when Pop came back with the milkshakes and fries, setting it all down gently on the table. “Here y’all go. Chocolate and strawberry shakes, with a side of fries.” He told them, tearing off the check and placing it in the middle. “Pay up front when you’re done.”

“Thanks-”

“Thank you-”

The two spoke in unison, looking at each other with pink blushed before they focus on their milkshakes. Sweet Pea can hear Pop’s chuckle as he walks away, and he sighs. Well. That was something. The two sit in a semi-comfortable silence, drinking away at their milkshakes before he reaches over and steals a few fries. This stops Josie, and she looks up at him. “Excuse me?”

He grins teasingly, munching through a fry. “What? You weren’t gonna share?”

She smiled, flicking some salt from the plate at him and making him laugh. As she takes a sip of her milkshake, Sweet Pea really looks at her, nervously clearing his throat. “So… You really liked the bike ride?” He asked. Josie nodded, finishing up a fry before answering. “Yeah, it was fun! I’ve never felt so rebellious in my whole life.” She admitted, chuckling.

“Well, that’s good… ‘cuz I was thinking… maybe, I can give you a ride to school in the mornings? Now that we both go to Riverdale High, and you like the bike so much…” Sweet Pea offered, looking at his milkshake intently. “I mean, we totally don’t have to.”

Josie stared, then smiled. “Okay. I can use a ride anyway- my mom made me keep my car at home so I don’t stay out too late after school.” She said. “And, maybe you can drop me off at home?”

Sweet Pea smiled, stealing another fry. “Sure thing, Josie.”

The two finished their shakes and fries, having a mini battle at the counter of which should pay (each voting for themselves, eventually Sweet Pea won because he was faster) before they left for Josie’s home. When they pulled up, and she climbed off, Sweet Pea reached out for her arm to stop her. “Hey- just a second.” He muttered. She turned to look at him, somewhat confused, and he felt his throat stop up. “Uh… You… I’ll see you in the morning?” Sweet Pea stuttered out, cursing himself for getting nervous. Josie smiled, though. “Sure thing. See you tomorrow, Sweet Pea.” She said, before disappearing into her house. He watched the house for a moment, smiling.

“See you, Josie.”

 

 

 


End file.
